{
  "abstract": "Hospital environmental fungal contamination is a significant cause of healthcare-associated fungal infections, which are associated with high mortality rates in immunocompromised populations. However, current understanding of the distribution characteristics and high-risk colonization sites of fungi on hospital inanimate surfaces remains limited, hindering the development of targeted infection control strategies. A cross-sectional study was conducted in December 2024 in a large tertiary care hospital in central China. Using two-stage stratified sampling, 100 environmental surface samples were collected from 10 clinical departments. All samples underwent fungal culture and quantification, and culture-positive samples were further analyzed by 18S rRNA sequencing to characterize fungal community composition. A total of 20% of samples were culture-positive for fungi, and 7% exceeded the ECDC-recommended threshold of 5 colony-forming units per square centimeter (CFU/cm²). Water-related surfaces showed the highest culture-positive rate (32.1%), with the highest individual count observed in an endocrinology department handwashing pool (15 CFU/cm2), followed by air disinfection machine vents and faucets. Aspergillus was the dominant genus (43.8% of isolates), and 70% of identified genera included WHO-listed priority pathogenic fungi. Water-related surfaces and ventilation equipment outlets are high-risk sites for fungal colonization. Current cleaning protocols are insufficient for these areas, requiring enhanced targeted surveillance and disinfection to reduce healthcare-associated fungal infection risk.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Colorectal and Anal Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China",
    "Department of Infection Prevention and Control Management, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China",
    "Department of Nursing, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China",
    "School of Public Health, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China",
    "Health Science Center, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China",
    "Sinopharm Dongfeng General Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China",
    "Hubei Engineering Center for Infectious Disease Prevention, Control and Treatment, Wuhan, China",
    "Department of Logistics Support, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China",
    "Department of Infection Prevention and Control, West China Women's and Children’s Hospital, Chengdu, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 13,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Wenbin He",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9009-5856"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Fan Cheng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Xiaoyan Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Nuo Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Ying Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yan Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yibin Tan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Wenwen Wu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Bilong Feng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Xiaofeng Lin"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Xiaokang Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Weilong Zhou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Ying Wang",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2094-9347"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6z54zvxs5ym0e.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360522",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13734468/",
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  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360522",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Biochemistry"
    ],
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      "heading",
      "Bioengineering"
    ],
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      "heading",
      "Biology and Life Sciences"
    ],
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      "heading",
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  "pmcid": "PMC13734468",
  "pmid": "42981288",
  "published": "2026-11-04",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6z54zvxs5ym0e.ris",
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "heading:Biochemistry",
      "subfield": "general"
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    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "heading:Cell biology",
      "subfield": "cell-biology"
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  "title": "Distribution characteristics of fungi on surfaces in the hospital environment: What have we overlooked?",
  "title_text": "Distribution characteristics of fungi on surfaces in the hospital environment: What have we overlooked?",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T12:23:58Z",
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